Microsoft Bing is stealing tens of millions of Google’s search users according to the latest data

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In simpler terms, the third quarter earnings report for fiscal year 2025 from Microsoft mainly focused on its cloud services, but artificial intelligence also made significant contributions during the event.

Microsoft’s Copilot leverages ChatGPT and other OpenAI technologies, as well as closely ties in Bing Search for immediate web data access. During their earnings report, Microsoft revealed that Bing experienced a 22% increase in user engagement year-on-year, possibly due to these recent integrations.

For a while now, Bing has been the subject of numerous jokes due to its constant comparison with Google. Google search, on the other hand, has reigned supreme over the internet for years, providing the foundation for most online businesses through its advertising platform and content curation algorithms. However, recent trends indicate that users are increasingly seeking out genuine alternatives.

As an analyst, I’ve observed an intriguing shift in the digital landscape: both Statista and StatCounter (via Tuta) data indicate a potential decline in Google’s dominance. While these platforms employ distinct methods to measure market share, StatCounter’s findings are particularly noteworthy as they suggest Google dipped below 90% for the first time since their records began this year. This could be a significant milestone, hinting at a potential power shift in the digital world.

Statista provides detailed data that, when visually represented over the past decade, shows a significantly increasing trajectory for Bing. Similarly, Ecosia and DuckDuckGo have experienced notable growth spurts as well. So, what’s causing this trend?

Statista offers detailed data that makes Bing look like it’s growing rapidly when you look at the past 10 years on a graph. Other search engines like Ecosia and DuckDuckGo have also been expanding steadily. But why is this happening?

It seems that it’s not likely that one specific factor is causing issues with Google right now, so let’s consider some possible explanations based on personal experiences to understand what might be happening.

  • Google lost anti-trust cases relating to search, forcing it to offer users alternative search engines like Bing during the set up process on Android in some markets.
  • Google has been flooding its search results with AI-generated content and reddit posts that often lack context. Gemini’s inability to understand context has created a raft of hilarious memes mocking Google search.
  • The rise of “ethical” search engines like Ecosia and DuckDuckGo have also given users a real alternative.
  • Anecdotally, I’ve noticed an upswing in interest in Bing via Microsoft Rewards, which gives users points simply for entering search queries, which can then be exchanged for vouchers.
  • European alternatives, such as Ecosia, may be seeing growth as countries impacted by Trump’s tariff blitz campaign to reject American products. McDonalds recently suggested, for example, that it is seeing decreased sales in Europe due to anti-American sentiment. Could this be impacting Google too?
  • Thanks perhaps in part to ChatGPT and Copilot, Bing Search is actually now offering the kind of quality standard Google previously set.
  • General AI pollution on the web may be compelling users to break their Google habits to seek alternatives, subsequently discovering that other options aren’t half bad.

Approximately 5 billion individuals worldwide use Google as their primary search engine, making up around 89.9% of the market share. Losing just one percentage point means more than 40 million additional users would potentially switch to other search engines.

Windows’ significant market dominance has been somewhat disregarded in recent times because it is an entirely open platform. On the other hand, Google has faced allegations that it leverages its monopoly on search engines to boost its own goods and services while potentially disadvantaging competitors – as suggested by some antitrust attorneys at least.

It’s becoming increasingly likely that Google will face intensified regulation. Potential antitrust lawsuits in the U.S. are urging Google to separate its products such as Google Chrome and Android, with the possibility of dividing both.

It appears doubtful that Bing or any other search engine will likely threaten Google’s powerful lead in the near future. However, should the current decline persist, this situation might offer a highly unusual chance for Microsoft Bing.

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2025-05-02 10:39